bad rap

[insertusername]

bad rap

The things we become known for aren’t always what we’d like to be known for. Reputations are hard to run from. Sometimes they’re not even deserved. So here’s your chance to set the record straight. Clear up some misplaced assumptions, debunk any rumours about yourself and defy your stereotypes.

how to play:

Top level with something(s) your character is tired of people assuming about them, blaming them for, or pigeonholing them about, etc. Say it in person or over text.

Comment on any surprising, or not so surprising declarations.

Comments

[horticulturalist]

What's it supposed to mean then?

[motiontostrike]

I think that's different from individual to individual. For me? I think having faith means recognizing that I'm a part of something bigger than myself. It means I don't have to have all the answers, but I'm not free from the obligation of striving to understand and to do better.

[horticulturalist]

What sort of something is that?

[motiontostrike]

Cosmically speaking. Life has meaning beyond the here and now. Death isn't the end of the story. That's the kind of something I'm referring to here.

[horticulturalist]

Isn't that kind of circular logic? Faith means recognizing something bigger than yourself. But this bigger thing you recognize, you're taking on faith?

[motiontostrike]

You're not wrong. It does sound a lot like that, doesn't it? I don't claim it's all rational, or even rooted in logic. That's where the faith comes in.

My point is, I don't let it live there. My belief in God doesn't mean I put everything in His hands and let Him do all the work. It's a guiding principle, not a cop-out.

[horticulturalist]

I gotta say... feels like a cop out.

[motiontostrike]

I wish I could say I'm surprised. I understand, though. It's all right. Religious doctrine historically hasn't been kind to everyone. I knew there was a risk, saying I'm misunderstood because of my faith.

[horticulturalist]

Like you said, it means you don't have to have all the answers, but I can't help thinking a lot of people just fill in the blanks with faith and stop looking.

Not that I'd blame you. I get it. I like to keep a few sure-fire conversation-enders in my back pocket too. "I don't have any skin," always works like charm.

[motiontostrike]

Maybe they do. I don't know that I'd blame anyone who finds a little peace for themselves and decides to hold on. I'm probably not the mind who's going to unlock the eternal answer of life itself, no matter how much I question and scrutinize and deny. So what's the problem with hanging onto whatever lets me breathe a little easier?

You... Hey, if you're trying to end the conversation, you don't have to be coy.

[horticulturalist]

Nothing. I guess it just rubs people the wrong way more than most escapism.

No, no. I'm just saying— you say keep the faith, I say lost my face. They both bring us some peace and quiet.

[motiontostrike]

You're right about that. I'm not saying I don't know why. Only that I think we've all got something, and this works for me.

Does that really work for you? It seems like a coin toss. You don't get people thinking you owe them a story?

[horticulturalist]

Does it ever get in the way of all the... lawyering? Church and state being what they are.

Most people don't want to be burdened with figuring out the right thing to say to that.

[motiontostrike]

It's a good question. I don't think so, no. My beliefs are my own, and the law is the law. Maybe the same reason I'm drawn to one explains the other. There's a kind of ritual to both practices. It's almost a ceremony, really. In church or in the courtroom, you're interpreting text -- parable or precedent -- to make your case.

I get you. Sometimes people just walk off, in the middle of a conversation. They just leave me babbling to the wall.

[horticulturalist]

I can see that. Neither one's a science. More qualitative than quantifiable.

Me too. Huh. I'm only now realizing the possibility that some people might think I'm blind...

[motiontostrike]

Guess I've always liked to fight. Some people do it with their fists, and some people take a swing with their words.

If you're telling them you have no face, who knows what they might assume.

[horticulturalist]

And some aren't much for fighting at all.

It's probably got more to do with the glasses...

[motiontostrike]

Some aren't. I don't know if I believe that from the guy who thinks faith in God means rolling over and playing ignorant. You fight with something; maybe it's just yourself.

Ah, the blind man's trademark. That could be.

[horticulturalist]

I dunno, that sounds a lot like the opposite of fighting.

Yeah, I guess I'm wearing the team colors.

sorry for breaking in (okay maybe not really but this is one of my buttons)

[dontpetmeibite]

Why do you need to believe in something that nobody can prove is real in order to not be "free from the obligation of striving to understand and to do better"?

I try to understand things because I don't want to be ignorant, and I try to do better because I want to be someone I like, and the people who love and rely on me deserve that as well.

Don't get me wrong. If you want to believe in something that nobody can prove is real, and it makes you happy, that's fine, as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else. But I question the idea that you need that belief in order to be the kind of guy you'd probably be anyway.

There are plenty of people who believe in Solus, or Jesus, or Primus, or Allah, or Elvis, or the 28th coming of Optimus Prime, who don't feel the obligation to understand or do better. And a lot of them use those beliefs to justify being ignorant, selfish afthelms who pick and choose what kind of people they think should have rights.

[motiontostrike]

I think you're conflating my words. My faith gives me permission to not have all of the answers, but it doesn't absolve me of the need to better myself. Meaning I don't use my belief as a crutch to mistakenly convince myself there's no more work to be done but to believe.

I don't think religion is the only path to morality or enlightenment. I couldn't say how different or similar I'd be without it. But I can say that I've questioned and lost faith and turned away from God and the loss didn't personally make me any better. It's a path, and a guardrail, and a reminder. I think we all find those somewhere.

On the other hand, anyone can take any philosophy -- belief of the lack thereof -- and bastardize and blasphemize it if that's what's in their hearts.

[dontpetmeibite]

I'm not saying you'd be better off without your faith. I would never tell someone they'd be better off without something that genuinely made them happy and harmed no-one else.

I just don't think you are giving yourself enough credit.

I've seen plenty of what you're talking about. The philosophy by which I live my life has also been used to justify carnage and cruelty; but usually by those who were looking for justifications for that.

You strive to improve yourself and understand the world because that's who you are and that's what you do.

Re: sorry for breaking in (okay maybe not really but this is one of my buttons)

[(Anonymous)]

Hey, I'm not sure if you're aware, but roleplay on Dreamwidth is meant to be collaborative storytelling. It's not like on Tumblr where you sign your posts with the name of a fictional character but are otherwise just writing posts you would normally write under your own name.